How much internet data does Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 use, and how can you reduce bandwidth usage?
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 does not use a fixed amount of internet data. It can range from fairly light usage with most online features limited to several gigabytes during a long session if you are streaming detailed scenery, photogrammetry, live weather, traffic and multiplayer. The biggest bandwidth savings come from reducing streamed world data first.
Why Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 uses so much data
MSFS 2024 is built around streamed content. Instead of storing every high-resolution texture, aerial image, city model and weather layer locally, the sim pulls a lot of that information from Microsoft servers while you fly.
That means data use changes constantly. A low cruise over a dense city with photogrammetry and live services active will use much more bandwidth than a high-altitude cruise over sparse terrain, even in the same aircraft.
The main features that use internet bandwidth
- Streamed world scenery such as aerial imagery and terrain detail
- Photogrammetry for detailed city models
- Live weather and atmospheric updates
- Live traffic and multiplayer aircraft
- Rolling or local cache fills when the sim stores newly streamed areas
- Updates and content downloads, which can be larger than normal flight-time usage
How much data does MSFS 2024 use in practice?
There is no single official number that covers every flight, but as a practical rule, expect anything from a few hundred megabytes for a lighter online session to several gigabytes for a detailed, low-level flight in heavily streamed areas. If you disable most streaming features, ongoing usage drops sharply.
The table below is a realistic way to think about it.
| Flight scenario | Typical data use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Main menu, sign-in, small background checks | Low | Basic online services and account activity |
| High-altitude IFR flight with limited live features | Low to medium | Less detailed terrain streamed close to the aircraft |
| Normal flight with live weather and traffic enabled | Medium | Regular world, weather and traffic updates |
| Low-level VFR flying over detailed scenery | High | More ground detail must be streamed continuously |
| Photogrammetry city flying with live weather, traffic and multiplayer | Very high | This is usually the heaviest combination for bandwidth use |
| Most online world features disabled | Very low after loading | Much less scenery and live data is pulled during flight |
If you are on a capped connection, the important point is this: the sim's biggest spikes usually come from photogrammetry, streamed scenery and large updates, not from basic menu use.
What uses the most bandwidth in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
1. Photogrammetry
This is usually the first setting we would look at. Detailed streamed city geometry looks excellent, but it increases data use quickly, especially during low passes, helicopter flying and VFR sightseeing in major urban areas.
2. Streamed world imagery and terrain data
The simulator constantly pulls in scenery around you. The faster you move, the lower you fly and the more detail the area contains, the more the sim has to fetch.
3. Live weather
Weather does not normally use as much data as full scenery streaming, but it still adds regular online traffic. If you fly often and want to keep usage down, switching to presets helps.
4. Live traffic and multiplayer
Other aircraft models, positions and updates all add overhead. On their own they are not usually the worst offender, but together with world streaming they push usage higher.
5. Updates, world content and optional packages
Do not overlook this. A single simulator update or large content package can use far more data than several ordinary flights. If you are managing a monthly cap, downloads matter just as much as live flying.
How can you reduce bandwidth usage in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
- Turn off photogrammetry first. If you need the biggest reduction without stripping the sim down completely, start here. You will lose some city realism, but bandwidth use usually falls noticeably.
- Limit streamed world data. If your connection is slow or capped, reducing or disabling online world streaming cuts usage far more than minor visual tweaks do. This has the biggest visual trade-off, so use it when data matters more than scenery fidelity.
- Switch from live weather to a preset. This is an easy saving, especially if you mostly fly training circuits, short hops or repeat routes where realism is not the priority.
- Disable live traffic and multiplayer. If you do not need real traffic feeds or other online aircraft, turn them off. It is not the largest saving on its own, but every live service adds up.
- Use rolling cache sensibly. A cache can reduce repeat downloads when you revisit the same regions. Put it on a fast drive, give it enough space to be useful, and do not keep clearing it unless you are troubleshooting.
- Revisit the same areas when possible. Cache helps most if you repeatedly fly from the same airport or around the same city. If every flight is in a new region, the sim will keep downloading fresh data.
- Avoid low-level sightseeing in photogrammetry cities. This is one of the heaviest use cases. Climbing higher, flying outside dense urban areas, or using less detailed regions will reduce streaming demand.
- Control updates manually. If your internet plan has a cap, do large sim and content downloads at times that suit your allowance. Updates can easily dwarf normal in-flight bandwidth use.
- Monitor usage at the router or operating system level. The sim does not always give the clearest picture of total monthly consumption. Tracking it externally is the best way to avoid surprises.
Does rolling cache reduce data usage?
Yes, but only in the right circumstances. Rolling cache helps when you fly over the same scenery more than once, because the simulator can reuse data it has already stored locally instead of downloading it again.
It helps much less if you are constantly flying somewhere new, if the cache is too small and keeps replacing old data, or if you regularly delete it. Cache is useful, but it is not a magic bandwidth switch.
What is the best setup if you have a monthly data cap?
| Goal | Recommended setting choices | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest possible data use | Disable photogrammetry, streamed world data, live weather, traffic and multiplayer | Big loss in visual and live-world realism |
| Balanced setup | Keep basic online features, but disable photogrammetry and live traffic first | Good compromise for most capped connections |
| Best visuals | Keep full world streaming and photogrammetry on | Highest ongoing bandwidth use |
Can you use Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 with limited or no internet?
You can reduce online dependency quite a lot, but MSFS 2024 is still designed around streamed content. With online features limited, the sim can remain usable, yet visuals and some live features will be reduced, and certain checks or downloads may still need a connection.
For that reason, we would treat MSFS 2024 as a simulator that works best with internet access, even if you choose to keep actual flight-time bandwidth low.
Quick answer: which settings should you change first?
If you want the shortest route to lower data usage, change these in order:
- Photogrammetry off
- Streamed world scenery or online world data reduced or off
- Live traffic and multiplayer off
- Live weather off
- Rolling cache enabled and sized properly for repeat flying
That combination gives the largest bandwidth reduction with the least guesswork. If you still exceed your cap, the next place to look is not another graphics setting but large simulator and content updates.